They were not passed through this House.

I raised a very important point and I do not need the Leader of the House to respond in detail, but will she take it up with the Minister for Health and ask him to come to the House to address the concerns raised about the Rotunda Hospital?

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: - "the Bill to be read a second time on 31st December, 2021, to allow for further consideration of the Bill". I wish to share my time with Senator Cassells. I thank Senators McDowell and Higgins, and all of the Senators and Deputies, I guess, who worked on the commission and the report. I have to say ráiméis because what I have just had to listen to is exactly what gives this House a bad name. I do not know what or where Senator …

I draw the attention of the House to legislation that will be introduced by my colleagues, Deputies McAuliffe and Lahart, in the Dáil this evening. The legislation in question relates to scrambler and quad bikes and the social use of them in our communities. I live in the constituency of Dublin Central and I am aware that the use of these bikes has been an issue right across the city and outside it. The Road Safety Authority stated that there were more than 40 injuries and fatalities over a three-year period and th…

I am pleased to welcome the Minister of State on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party. Before I say another word, I wish to acknowledge Senator Flynn, whose presence will contribute greatly to this important discussion. I am honoured to contribute on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party. We have all been consumed by the issue of Covid since March. It has taken over our lives, but it is important not to forget that the housing crisis that has gripped our country has not gone away. In many respects, it has been further highlig…

I wish to share my time with Senator Malcolm Byrne, if that is agreeable to the House?

Yes.

I offer condolences and sympathies to the family of Mr. William Hampton. It is really unseemly that anybody's will would be drawn into this type of a debate. It is really unseemly that public representatives, of any description, are actually debating the need for transparency around the funding of political activities in this day and age. If this was 20, 30 or 50 years ago one might consider the debate acceptable. It is really offensive to the people of our country, the people who pay their taxes, the people who ad…

I am delighted to welcome the Minister and his officials and I thank him for bringing this important legislation before the House. As the Minister stated, there is nothing more important in any of our lives than to have a secure home and to have a place to call home. I am on the record as stating that after Covid-19, climate action and Brexit, I do not believe this Government has any bigger challenge than to address the housing crisis and the lost decade of housing delivery our country is struggling to overcome. I …

Now.

Can we allow the Senator to speak to it and can she read the amendment, please? It was not circulated to the rest of us.

I thank Senators for the amendments. I think we are in danger of trying to fix the massively dysfunctional environment of the private rented market in an emergency piece of legislation. The Minister has accepted it and I believe he is committed to trying to fix the systemic problems around supply, the provision of public and affordable housing and security of tenure, of which Senator Higgins spoke. I welcome the Minister's commitment on the cost-rental model. That legislation is long overdue. As a city councillor, …

The Sinn Féin speaker clearly has a well-rehearsed script. I will stick to the amendments.

I was not taking the Chair's comment that way. I welcome amendments Nos. 1 and 7 from the Minister. When this Bill was introduced to the Seanad, I was critical of the Government's approach in fast-tracking the legislation. It is not how we should do our business. I accept the urgency. Survivors have been waiting five years for the commission of investigation to complete its work. It has indicated it is ready to complete its work and provide the Minister with a report next week. Every single one of the survivors des…

I will finish then.

As for the establishment of an archive, Sean MacDermott Street is an ideal site. The site was given to the State, intended as a repayment. I would like the Minister to speak on that before we finish the debate today.

The headline-----

We want to-----

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his generosity. I will be brief. Today is the first day of the lockdown. Everybody working in front-line services obviously has our support but I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Transport to address, with Dublin Bus, the provision of public bus services in the city. Ordinarily a Dublin Bus double-decker will carry more than 100 passengers but because of the restrictions only 17 passengers will be allowed on them. We encourage parents and children use the public bus service to go…

I thank Senators Ruane and Higgins for bringing the Bill to us for debate, as well as Seb, in Senator Ruane's office, who was very responsive to my queries. I must admit that when I first saw the Title of the Bill, and the document I received that referred to keeping in power the voices of the people and of civil society groups, I kind of struggled with what exactly it was about. Once I understood it, I agreed wholeheartedly that the issue needs to be addressed. That is blindingly obvious. Both the Senators spoke a…